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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. suit — clothes
  3. degree — an amount
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. craft — boats
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bound — certain
  8. craft — a skill
  9. stock — shares
  10. race — a contest
  11. suit — to fit
  12. degree — temperature
  13. race — the arms race
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. squash — the sport
  17. degree — from a university
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. stock — goods
  20. squash — to crush
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. bound — tied together
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. race — humankind

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com